The Editors' Mailba[?]

Who Had That

£5O Conscience?

The following is from the “Sydney Morning Herald” of December 29, 1956:

Conscience Money From Abroad

The Commonwealth Treasury Department has received £5O in a registered letter posted at Kogarah as conscience money.

The anonymous sender indicated that the money was "due to the War Damage Section of the Treasury", and was sent at the request of persons living outside Australia.

This “SMH” clipping came to us with the letter which follows: I strongly suspect that the "persons" re ferred to in the news clipping are natives of Papua-New Guinea.

I am, etc.,

Brett Hilder.

Castlecrag, Sydney.

January 9, 1956.

For readers outside New Guinea, perhaps we had better explain that as well as the £12,000,000 or so paid out to Europeans for war damage in P-NG (out of a fund contributed to by all Australian property holders) , more millions, quite un solicited, were paid out to natives on account of alleged havoc amongst the pig-pens; or for damage to village property. The methods of assessing native war damage, and the distribution of this largess have always been regarded as a joke.

Does NI Really

Pay its Way?

The generally-held opinion that Australia, by annual grant, main tains the economy of Norfolk Island, is challenged by an Islands

resident who has teen studyi matter: “NI itself exports its own pi to the value of £15,000 pa. Y< add to that at least £lOO, private incomes transmitted non-Australian countries 1 residents. That explains he quite apart from Australian can import £120,000 worth of annually.

“By hidden taxes —s hi p freights and charges made or ments, etc. —Australia gets ar from £30,0000 to £40,000 per ; from that trade. In additior tralia takes at least £20,00( the Islanders in direct ta Therefore, even after Austra paid £25,000 p.a. to maintai absurdly expensive Adminis on NI, and made a special of some £35,000 p.a, for work, and so forth, Australia well on the right side of the “Now, with the new \ enterprise established there tralia is going to get more i in direct and indirect taxat that industry.

“Don’t tell me that Canb producing any race of ] thropists, so far as NI is conc<

Our Friends the

Indonesians!

With most of Sumatra i revolt, and rebels still in of the Moluccas, the PIM i years-old prophecy of the u collapse of “the Republic donesia” coming true The Indonesians, already after the Asian-African con in Bandoeng in 1955, beca tolerably arrogant after States supported Nasser Britain and France in No and cannot longer concea hatred of all Europeans. H extracts from a letter wri November to the editor of J a British woman who had j Java after three years’ re there: “We had a very exciting I in Djakarta. We happened visiting the British Embass, it was attacked by thousc

anti-Anglo-French demons

It was rather terrifying v lasted, because the mob sou violent — bottles, bullets and were hurled at the buildir they finally set fire to on Fortunately, we were able some help from the polic fired on the demonstrators, i mob then moved on to ath French Embassy. We had to inside the Embassy for ne hours. . . All our heavy

(Continued on page 137)

to he left behind—there was \ycott on anything British, and me would handle it. I doubt e shall ever see it again.” lese Indonesians are among the ns who are being induced, under Colombo Plan, to come into ralia and enjoy Australian itality, and learn to love us!

)ute to a

iceman

gt.-Major Pogenau was a great policeman,” writes G. W. L. nsend, in reference to a para h in Nov. PIM (p. 130). rmer DO Townsend goes on to that Pogenau was with him on y patrols before the war, and ;d during it with FELO —but as a policeman. genau would not join the army, lining in the Police Force, be b he held the rather unique be for that time that the Govern t had not left New Guinea i the Japanese invaded, and the Army had merely been d in to help them. He wished smain “Government.” assist in a diversionary plan, nau volunteered to go into the ly stronghold of Lae; and gh recognised and approached latives there, remained three and “planted his story.”